Henrik Ibsen Collection (Hedda Gabler / Ghosts / Little Eyolf / The Wild Duck / The Master Builder) | 
| Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Denholm Elliott, Ingrid Bergman, Michael Redgrave, Judi Dench
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $59.98
Buy New: $37.99
You Save: $21.99 (37%)
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Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 9700
Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number Of Discs: 6
Running Time: 967 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.6 x 1
MPN: WARDE2977D
UPC: 794051297723
EAN: 0794051297723
ASIN: B000PAAK5U
Theatrical Release Date: September 20, 1963
Release Date: July 24, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The Henrik Ibsen Collection is simply astoundingly comprehensive. This compilation of BBC adaptations of Ibsen's work--plays essential to the dawn of modern theater--features television versions of nine of Ibsen's major plays (with two different versions of The Master Builder, with the arrogant architect played in 1958 by Donald Wolfit, then in 1988 by Leo McKern), with an additional seven of Ibsen's plays (including some rarely performed early works) presented in radio versions, along with an intriguing play about Ibsen, A Meeting in Rome, concerning the Norwegian dramatist's relationship with the bitter Swedish playwright August Strindberg, author of Miss Julie. But the collection's true value lies not in its completeness; these productions are never less than sturdy and some are grippingly dynamic, thanks to skillful direction and powerhouse casts. The tightly edited 1962 version of Hedda Gabler stars a magnetic Ingrid Bergman as the volatile heroine, fantastically paired with Michael Redgrave (The Importance of Being Earnest) as her mediocre husband and Ralph Richardson (The Fallen Idol) as their predatory family friend, his eyes glittering with lust for Hedda. Juliet Stevenson (Truly Madly Deeply) perfectly captures both the flightiness and the earnest passion of the Victorian wife of A Doll's House (though the script could have stood some editing for television). The blazing eyes of Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner) drive the title character of Brand, a clergyman who destroys his own life through inflexible rectitude. In Little Eyolf, Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Diana Rigg (The Avengers) claw at each other as they suffocate in their unhappy marriage. The most visually striking production is Ghosts, starring Judi Dench (Iris), Michael Gambon (The Singing Detective), and Kenneth Branagh (Shackleton); this creepy tale of incest, adultery, and disease oozes Gothic claustrophobia. In some respects, Ibsen hasn't aged well. Many of the particular repressions and injustices he attacked have fallen (though often replaced by subtler forms), making some of these plays seem strident and overwrought. But the modernized adaptation of An Enemy of the People easily shows how hypocrisy and greed never go away--no stars here, just the sheer force of people acting out their worst instincts. And only someone heartless could remain unmoved by The Wild Duck, with a simple but devastating performance by Jenny Agutter (Logan's Run) as a girl watching her family destroyed by an intruder's idealism. Though Ibsen died over a hundred years ago, his plays still pack a punch. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
Includes: the pretenders (2004) peer gynt (1986) emperor and galilean (1990) the pillars of society (1989) rosmersholm (1990) a meeting in rome (1991) certainties and doubts (1979) john gabriel borkman (1974) when we dead awaken (1991) Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/24/2007 Starring: Anthony Hopkins Denholm Elliott Run time: 982 minutes Rating: Nr
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Classic performances of Ibsen May 1, 2009
R. A. Camp (United Kingdom)
Henrik Ibsen Collection (Hedda Gabler / Ghosts / Little Eyolf / The Wild Duck / The Master Builder)
A wonderful collection of definitive performances of great plays, unobtainable in the U.K. 8 radio plays included. These performances by casts including Michael Redgrave,Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Diana Rigg will never be bettered. Beautifully spoken and understood. The producers really know their Ibsen and bring out all Ibsen's subtle ironies and nuances. Alas, the BBC do not produce such great plays any more: very wise for any true theatre-lover to grab this collection while it is available. I have been studying Ibsen for 40 years; these productions are the culmination of my `Ibsen experience'. I know all the plays intimately; very few moments in these productions jar. Faithful period detail and costume: characters and background look convincingly `Victorian': contemporary productions (which are rare anyway) invariably make Hedda, Nora, Gina etc. look as if they've just walked in off the streets of New York or London, let alone Oslo. Seeing them actually prompted me book a Eurostar train to Oslo to visit the Ibsen Museum. Michael Meyer translations are relatively faithful: again, contemporary versions make the language much too chatty and contemporary.
Richard Camp, Brecon, UK.
Nice, but a Strindberg collection would be nicer. February 19, 2009
melquist (Big Rapids, Michigan USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am very pleased with this collection. The performances are outstanding and the discs are loaded with extras, including a full 2.5 hour radio broadcast of Peer Gynt with Grieg's music. The price is also unbeatable. However, I am always amazed that Ibsen gets loads of attention while Strindberg (a better writer and dramatist) gets hardly any. Perhaps it's because he was branded a sexist. True, he had problems with women; but anyone who knows A Dream Play and many other works would conclude that this brand is too simplistic to warrant such a dismissal. Aside from this, I really have a great admiration for Ibsen. Included in this collection are his greatest plays. Ghosts is his best tragedy. Ibsen proved that he could present a dark and disturbing work without violence or death. It is also a major condemnation of social zombies, who are concerned more with the herd than with each other's individual needs. Even though I liked A Doll's House, I enjoyed Lady from the Sea better. Here, the stereotypical gender roles are not as noticeable, and the character development takes on a more primary concern. The Wild Duck is his most heartbreaking play, showing the tragic results from neglecting children. Similarly, Little Eyolf deals with the neglect of children. This tragedy takes a close second to Ghost with its strong sense of devastation that condemns the surviving characters to a gloomy existence. All in all, it is a very nice collection, but I sincerely wish BBC would honor Strindberg as well.
 Henrik Ibse Collection February 23, 2008
Helen H. Spillers (Winston-Salem NC USA)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I really like the DVD but sorry it didn't have Closed Captions as I don't hear well. They did not speak clearly (because of accents I guess)
Otherwise glad I got it.
A masterful collection November 6, 2007
J. Lamarre
24 out of 26 found this review helpful
Because one of the earlier posters asked, the titles included in the set are "Brand", "A Doll's House", "Hedda Gabler", "The Wild Duck", "Ghosts", "Little Eyolf", "An Enemy of the People", "The Lady from the Sea" and two versions of "The Master Builder." Also included are the following plays in radio versions: "Peer Gynt", "The Pretenders", "Emperor and Galilean", "The Pillars of Society", "Rosmersholm", "John Gabriel Borkman", "When We Dead Awaken" and "A Meeting in Rome" by Michael Meyer (a play about a meeting between Ibsen and August Strindberg).
A COLLECTION FOR THE AGES October 17, 2007
Calicokid (San Francisco, CA USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This aural and video collection of Ibsen should be in the collection of all who treasure the theatre experience. All the performances are very fine. Any collection that contains even such a truncated version of HEDDA GABLER with Bergman, Richardson, Redgave and Howard needs no further endorsement. Be ready for some memorable drama.
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